3 reasons why India dropping Cheteshwar Pujara for West Indies Tests is the wrong move

Cheteshwar Pujara has lost his place in the Indian Test squad for the upcoming ICC World Test Championship (WTC) series against West Indies. Pujara has been the backbone of the Indian team in Test cricket for years now, but the selectors have dropped him from the squad due to his failure in the World Test Championship final against Australia.

Despite spending so much time playing county cricket in the United Kingdom, Cheteshwar Pujara could not bring his 'A' game to the table in the match that mattered the most. Playing against the Aussies at The Oval, Pujara returned with scores of 14 & 27 in two innings.

Some fans feel that a change in the batting lineup was needed because of India's defeat in the WTC finals of 2021 and 2023, but here are three reasons why dropping Cheteshwar Pujara was the wrong move.

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#1 Cheteshwar Pujara scored a century in India's away Test series

Playing away from home is quite challenging for any batter, especially in the Test format. One needs to have proper experience to succeed overseas in Test cricket. Cheteshwar Pujara was in decent touch in India's last away series against Bangladesh.

As far as his numbers in that Test series are concerned, Pujara scored a 203-ball 90 in the first innings, followed by a match-winning 102-run knock in the second innings. India are scheduled to play home series against Bangladesh and New Zealand in this WTC cycle.

Even if the selectors wanted to try out a new player, they could have dropped Pujara before a home series. The new player who now takes his place in the Indian Test team will be under pressure to perform overseas as a replacement for a veteran player like Pujara.

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#2 Cheteshwar Pujara's defensive skills are unmatched

One of the reasons why Pujara succeeded so much in Test cricket is his defensive technique. He is one of the few batters in this modern T20 era, who can survive even 100 balls without scoring a run.

At times, teams land up in such situations, where they need to bat out a few overs to save the Test, or they need to slow down the proceedings after wickets fall in quick succession.

India do not have any batter in the squad for the West Indies tour, who can play like Pujara. It will be interesting to see how the new number three batter of the team plays.

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#3 A farewell series for Cheteshwar Pujara?

Pujara starred in India's two historic away series wins against Australia. He also played several match-winning knocks for India at home. His contributions played a big role in India not losing any home Test series since 2012/13.

Perhaps, if the selectors wanted to move on from Pujara, and the batter agreed, they could have planned a farewell for the veteran Indian batter and a smooth transition in the batting lineup. Pujara has done a lot for Indian cricket. He is among a few Indians to have played 100 Tests.

It would be quite disappointing if the ICC World Test Championship final 2023 proves to be the last match of his career.